Readers may click on any photo in this post to enlarge. Our feature photo for June is one of our fine roses that came into bloom this month. Originally planted by the previous owner, this one and its many friends survived being dug up and replanted when the house was rebuilt 5 years ago. I am forever grateful to the help we received from our friend Lyn in digging up all these thorny beauties and boxing them up until they could be replanted.

This lightly scented beauty begins life a creamy pink, and turns almost white as the blooms age.

Tough girls, they survived hot weather in pots and cardboard boxes covered with a minimal amount of dirt and infrequent watering. Only one of the group has died back over the years, leaving just the rootstock to regrow and bloom. The surviving rootstock we believe is an example of one called Dr. Huey.

Dr. Huey, I presume. The photo is from a previous year when the graft (pinkish bloom upper right) was still living and blooming. The Dr. Huey rootstock has taken over with masses of red blooms.

Tim & Laurie Price have some lovely photos of their Dr. Huey and other photos from the Corrales Rose Society annual Dr. Huey tours on their site.

The troubled weather that came riding in with Spring is transitioning peacefully as Summer asserts her time and place on our little farm in the Cascade foothills. Our first of the month arrived in a shroud of light drizzle and temperatures in the mid 50s, and ended that evening in the 70s watching the molten colors of sunset from a nearby mountain top, deep in conversation with friends. June has come and gone quickly, mostly filled with snapshots in time of things I have seen, to be replayed in mind’s eye at later times. I was struck by a quotation I recently saw on Baz & Janet’sXploresite. Avid travelers and explorers from Australia, they were visiting Merlin’s Cave, Tintatgel, Cornwall.

“Spend time not pondering what you see, but why you see it…”

The blooms of the black locust scented the air in early June, attracting bees and admiring humans.

The creamy white, heavily scented blooms of the black locust tree have come and gone along with the irises, succeeded by other species now heavily in bloom. Roses wave and dance, colorful skirts swirling on the breeze, while the orange trumpets of daylilies continue to make a joyful nose of color, accompanied by the butterfly bush which has now joined the symphony.

Make a joyful noise! A bed of orange daylily trumpets at sundown last night. The purple butterfly bush in the background has joined in celebration.

A colorful dancer, she can be seen whirling and waving at the sky on breezy days.

A contemplative member of the garden who has seen several locations, and is much happier now. Planted in memory of my own mother, variety John Paul.

I recall one clear blue, cloudless sky morning earlier in the month; the waning crescent moon was still overhead, white and marbled with light grey like quartz tumbled by the sea. There was little to no traffic on the road, being an early Sunday morning. It was pleasantly quiet; the land was still and the wind chimes silent.

A few days in the 90s caught my attention. The wind was continually restless and warm, and contained much energy; I could see cumulus piling up over the Cascades. The sky continued to marble with thin, high cirrus clouds, later on boiling with heavy, rolling clouds and widening chasms where one could see to upper levels and bright filtered light. That night, flashes of light over the mountains glowed on the underside of clouds as a storm brewed to the southeast.

Some of June’s many colorful clouds. An eastern view at sunset as the last rays of the sun reflected off the bottom of our aerial wanderers as they crossed over the Cascades.

A few morning cumulus and altocumulus reflected the peach and rose colors of dawn, and at least two clouds were presenting themselves as a colorful example of virga, rain observed to fall from a cloud and evaporate well above the ground.

Clouds in shades of lavender, white hot peach and rose painted in bold strokes against a deepening blue. A pleasant breeze came up after sundown that evening as the land cooled off. Movement over by the back north border head caught my eye. A brushy-tailed grey fox came down from the neighbor’s field across our back lot and into our patch of woods; a handsome little fellow in search of food. I recall Rick saying he had seen a fox a few nights prior to my sighting, but he indicated he had seen a red fox. I saw the grey fox on the border of the hazelnut grove another evening; he watched me intently as I closed the gate and shut off the water. I was probably within 100 feet of him.

Sundown, northwest view.

News from the Cats of Salmon Brook Farms

Mr. Nano has been occupied with important duties this month, so he has assigned Mr. Marcus and Mr. Luciothe task of filing the June report. The farm photographer was sent out to provide documentation on activities they have seen.

Mr. Nano has been very busy this month.

Without further ado, Mr. Nano presents Resident Feline Correspondents Marcus and Lucio, and their report for June, 2017.

Mr. Marcus (left), Mr. Lucio (right). Time to wake up and get to work!

We have observed the transition in the weather from cool and wet to drier and sunnier. The mornings are still deliciously cool and pleasant, and often accompanied by the missives of small birds outside the office window as they cling to strong-stemmed plants and eat the seeds from neighboring dandelions. We have noted with alarm the distinct drop off in the number of bees, especially honeybees, this spring, which we attribute to wetter and cooler than usual weather. Although there is much clover growing amid the grassy areas, few honeybees have been sighted feeding on it.

The vineyards and garden are now receiving much attention as the season progresses. Tomatoes, corn, peppers and a few eggplants starts have already gone in, soon to be followed by squash, cucumbers, red cabbage and broccoli this weekend.

Rick carefully tending a pepper plant start.

Placing a cage around the pepper plant to support it as it grows.

The table grapes and pinot noir produced many flowering clusters, and barring hail or other calamities, should produce a good crop, and perhaps some good wine, this autumn.

Cascade table grapes in progress!

Pinot noir wine grapes in progress!

Flowers continue to bloom in succession, both domestic and wild, presenting a visual feast from any window. The heirloom roses on the north border provide a riot of color in June. They bloom but once a season, unlike our other roses.

Colorful purple spires of the butterfly bush at sundown, growing crescent of the moon just off to the right.

Wildflowers in the meadow. Perhaps Clare from “A Suffolk Lane” would know what they are?

Heirloom roses on the north border, growing wild and carefree.

Cherries are now coming into season, along with blueberries, native trailing blackberries, strawberries and raspberries, providing delicious, healthy deserts.

Non-native blackberry in bloom will provide much needed nectar for bees, good eating later on for us. Wild blackberry provides the main honey flow in June for the Willamette Valley. There are far more of these about the farm than the native trailing blackberry which has ripe fruit now. We keep it in check as best we can. These plants can throw 20 foot, very thorny canes.

The black tartarian cherries, soft and very sweet, will become inky purple when ripe. There are also bing cherries here, as well as many wild cherries about.

A favorite image from back in the old house. our own roses and fruit. Wine is from Sauternes.

We would like to end this report with Michael’s Tree. Planted in honor of GP Cox’s son Michael, USMC. GP runs the site Pacific Paratrooper, dedicated to Pacific War era information.

Michael’s tree at sundown. This redwood will grow tall and strong, providing shade and shelter. It will outlive us. It has already put on much new growth this spring.

Birds overseeing the photography at sundown. We believe these are the ones that were nesting in the eves of the old garage.

We wish our readers a pleasant day and evening ahead, wherever you may be.

– Resident Feline Correspondents Mr. Marcus and Mr. Lucio

Music news (schedule posted on the Performance Schedule page)

For those readers who are new or catching up, the Salmon Brook Farms YouTube channel now has content, and our first Tiny Farm Concerts one song music video was posted at the end of March. I am 14 years older and a good bit more grey since my first and only CD was released back in 2003, but still in the saddle. It has been an interesting ride, with more to come! I have received a request for a video of “Believe in Tomorrow” from the Keepsake CD, so that task is still in my work queue, which gets longer and harder to keep up with in summer. I have no new videos for June due to all the activity here, but do keep an eye on more content appearing in July.

For those who have missed previous posts and wish to view the channel content, here are links to the previous two videos.

The Orchard, our distributor, has placed some of our music from the Keepsake CD on YouTube. Anyone wishing to see the entire track listing and stories behind the songs should visit my personal page under MUSIC in the menu at the top of this post. Depending on what country you live in, the music placed on YouTube by The Orchard may be blocked. Readers can also access some songs from the CD via the old IUMA archive site. See https://archive.org/details/iuma-lavinia_ross

In the meantime, in your area, wherever you may be, please do all you can to help keep your own local music alive. Go out and see someone you don’t know, host a house concert, download songs or buy CDs. Or even just stop for a minute to hear someone at a Farmers’ Market. Live, local musicians provide a wealth of talent most people will never hear about in this age of iPods, Internet and TV.

Sundown here at Salmon Brook Farms. I often think of the last lines of Desiderata. When my father died, he left all his children a copy of Desiderata, which I value above all else. “With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.” Having survived many battles in the Pacific during WWII, including Peleliu, he understood far better than any of us what this actually means. I regret that he did not find true peace until the end of his life.

Our feature photo this month is a colorful autumn view through the south row of table grapes. The grass in the background has turned a lovely emerald green, as it always does at this time of year when the rains begin again. Although we do not experience the vibrant colors of New England here except for where ornamentals and other non-native species are planted, our grapes, blueberries and hawthorns provide some red and orange hues to the predominantly green, yellow and browns of the season.

News from the farm

The days have grown noticeably shorter on our little farm in the Cascade foothills. As Autumn wearily trudges on towards Winter, her traveling companion Wind has grown restless. Sometimes playful, sometimes angry, but always on the move now, driving the herds of wandering dark clouds before her, leaving a cold, fragmented sky in their wake. She shakes tree, shrub and vine, demanding them to release spent leaves and overripe fruit. Come January, she will call like a Banshee in the night, and I will wake and listen for a while, the sound of her wailing striking some momentary primordial feeling of dread. Her siblings Storm and Mistvisit much more frequently. Mist is a shadowy figure, stealthily creeping in at times when the afternoon sun is warm and the air is still. The breath of the mountains slides down into the bowl in which this farm sits, and I feel the cold dampness on my neck. I turn to face this amorphous stark white entity, who soon envelopes me and all my surroundings. I find myself ingested. At night, her fingers curl and probe under the lights, attempting to find a way into the warmth beyond the door which shuts her out. Waiting for me to leave the safety of the house, she knows I will eventually have to come outside for various reasons. She will meet me on her own terms in this dark time of year.

October sunrise in progress over Salmon Brook Farms.

These intrepid little dandelions still bloom at this time of year.

A nasturtium plant snuggled up against the garage provides color as well.

And a rainbow to the east at sunset. Storm leaves a present for those who take time to observe.

Rick was busy rolling up netting today where all the grapes have been harvested. We had a good year in the vineyards except for where quail and other birds robbed us clean in sections that were not netted.

Rick, busy collecting netting this morning. Those are pruning shears at his side, for those who might be wondering.

We still have table grapes!

And a fine patch of kale, liking the cooler wet weather.

Earlier this month I had Rick collect four trays of Cascade table grapes for me to experiment with, as out Pinot Noir vineyard had been stripped clean by Quail, Inc. Sorted and crushed by hand, I decided they might at least make a good vinegar, as I had done back in 2014 when the vineyard was also stripped clean. Feeling adventurous, I decided to add a packet of Red Star Epernay II yeast that had been in the back of the refrigerator since last fall. I wasn’t sure if the yeast would still function, so I decided to find out! The stock pot was happily bubbling away within a couple of days, and the juice fermented dry to about 10% alcohol, based on the starting sugar content measured in the initial grape must (freshly pressed juice) and post fermentation juice. Cascade grapes on their own don’t make great wine, but they are sometimes used for blending. The “wine” is sitting sur lie in the refrigerator, before I rack it off and decide what to do with this experiment.

Grape must, or juice ready for fermenting. The wild yeasts present 2 years ago were not sufficient to go the distance, and so we had great pinot noir vinegar that year when acetobacter took over.

And then there are those unpleasant events that occur. We woke to find a large buck had expired out in the back yard. The ODFW was called, and they indicated there was nothing to be done unless the animal had died of gunshot wounds, in which case they notify the State Police. Rick and I rolled the buck over and could not find any signs of bullet wounds, so we dragged the poor fellow out of the way. A shallow pit was dug, and I covered him with dirt and sod as best I could. He will return to the earth from whence he came.

John Doe, a handsome buck, expired out back from unknown causes. Not what one wants to find in their yard. Most likely cause according to ODFW was internal injuries from and encounter with other males during the rutting season. It is possible he was hit by a car, showed no external damage, and managed to wander back this far before falling.

News from the Cats of Salmon Brook Farms

Miss Wynken of The Three Sisters wanted to file a report this month for the Cats of Salmon Brook Farms, as she had plenty to say.

Miss Wynken files her report.

Miss Wynken would like readers to know she is well again, having stopped eating on us. She was treated for a possible urinary tract infection, but we suspect the real culprit or at least an additional problem was her catching a front claw in something and ripping it out. She received antibiotics, special food and lots of TLC. The nail is growing back in nicely, she is eating and playing with toys again.

The lovely Wynken, all recovered.

Miss Nod, also known as “Sister Bertrille” or “The Flying Nod”. She is the most talkative and most adventurous of the Three Sisters.

Miss Blynken, the Quiet Intellectual. Studies people.

Miss Wynken would also like readers to know old Willow, the Calico Matriarch is doing well, and is still enjoying her window seat. She is up there in age, although we are not sure exactly how old she is.

Miss Willow, Calico Matriarch. She is somewhere in the vicinity of 20 years old, we think. Only she knows for sure.

Music News (schedule posted on the Performance Schedule page)

I am looking forward to the dark time of winter as a time of creativity, and getting fully back on my feet. Stay tuned! A few more tests and some surgery to get out of the way now.

In the meantime, in your area, wherever you may be, please do all you can to help keep your own local music alive. Go out and see someone you don’t know, host a house concert, download songs or buy CDs. Or even just stop for a minute to hear someone at a Farmers’ Market. Live, local musicians provide a wealth of talent most people will never hear about in this age of iPods, Internet and TV.

One of the last roses of autumn to survive all the recent rain. A sweet reminder of summer, and a promise of good things to come.

Our feature photo this month is of one of our red roses from the garden in front of the house. Sunlight coming in at low angle caught the backside of swirling red petals, detailing the ruffled skirt of this cheerful, flamboyant blossom. Depending on the weather, we may have blooms into late October or early November, a final farewell to this year’s growing season.

News from the farm

The Apple Tunnel, formed when a very old and very tall apple tree fell over long ago, but did not die. The tunnel entrance is facing west in this photo looking back toward vineyards and house. On this side of the tunnel is the wild area of the farm, including an acre of hazelnuts.

Autumn has settled in on our little farm in the Cascade foothills. Her arrival, unlike that of her maiden sister Spring, comes without the fanfare of golden trumpets and bright colors bursting forth from winter rain-damp soil and emerald green fields to meet her. No, Autumn is a slow, stealthy traveler, preferring to keep her own counsel as she stalks the farm. She is first seen out of the corner of one’s eye, cloaked in dessicated shades of yellow and brown, in the dry grass underfoot and stark white cirrus clouds overhead, foreshadowing much-needed rain. The land and all its rooted and mobile inhabitants begin a slow shift towards the inevitable as they become aware of her growing presence. Garden, orchard and vineyard race to ripen the fruits of their summer-long labor, and wildlife wait to feast on whatever they can before what all creatures know as the Hard Time sets in. Jack Frost will not be far behind now, his icy brush painting the way for Old Man Winter. It is the time of transition.

Strands of cirrus clouds marbled the sky today.

A sunset photo from last week. The depth and color of the clouds is beautiful to behold.

Plums have been dried and put away for the winter, and we are canning as many tomatoes as we have time for, since there are so many! The table grapes have done exceptionally well this year, and are providing us with copious fresh fruit. Since grapes can tolerate a light frost, we leave them on the vine until we are ready to pick.

Ripe Cascade table grapes, fortunately protected by netting.

Our pinot noir which was not bird-netted was completely stripped clean by quail. I had postponed harvesting the pinot since there was a lot of uneven ripening this year. This proved to be a mistake. The quail, not seen all summer long, launched a stealth attack on the vineyard, where there were many grapes hanging from the vines only a few days before. Caught red-footed among the vines, they ran quite a ways before they achieved lift-off. No wine this year, but I will make some vinegar from the Cascade table grapes of which there are plenty, and are covered with netting.

I see a lot of applesauce in our future.

News from the Cats of Salmon Brook Farms

Abby “Eleanor of Aquitaine”. Holding court in her personal bookcase.

Our feline correspondent this month is our own Miss Abby, who would prefer to be known as Eleanor of Aquitaine. Miss Abby would like readers to know she will be 15 years old next April, but has not let age slow her down! Well, not much anyway. She is sleeping in later these days, and enjoying that. As one of the dominant female cats of the household, she feels it is her duty to keep the younger cats in line, especially Mr. Lucio whom she feels is always out of line, even when he is doing nothing. They have established a truce during the nighttime hours so that all may sleep, mostly.

Lucio, Alpha male, 11 years old. Has learned, mostly, that Abby is one of the Alpha females and commands respect.

Music News (schedule posted on the Performance Schedule page)

The end of all the medical testing this year is in sight, and I made a good bit of progress. After what I hope will only be minor surgery later this fall, I should be back in the saddle. I have put the studio back together again, and barring any unforeseen problems, will have something going soon, including some videos. I am looking forward to the dark time of winter as a time of creativity.

In the meantime, in your area, wherever you may be, please do all you can to help keep your own local music alive. Go out and see someone you don’t know, host a house concert, download songs or buy CDs. Or even just stop for a minute to hear someone at a Farmers’ Market. Live, local musicians provide a wealth of talent most people will never hear about in this age of iPods, Internet and TV.

Our feature photo this month is of one of our red roses entertaining a couple of bee guests. The rose garden is finally recovering somewhat from the heat earlier this summer, and has decided to chance another round of blooms.

News from the farm

It is the season of Dust Devils, those carefree vortices spawned by heat and rising air, and fed by exposed fine, bare soil. The large grass seed farms and wheat producers have harvested their crops, and in many cases tilled and pulverized the soil with impressively large machines. The dusty soil of Oregon farmland spins slowly across the fields, spiraling upward in the heat of August, and the pale blue, milky sky takes on an additional tan hue. Smoke from forest fires, near and far, ride the winds through the valley and mix with the airborne dust. The air has a distinct burnt scent to it from time to time, and sunsets are more colorful and deeper in hue. A few passing storms have only barely wetted the surface, releasing the pungent aroma of baked earth and thirsty vegetation. It is late summer in the Willamette Valley.

I am looking forward to the end of summer and the return of the autumn rains on our little farm in the Cascade foothills. We have experienced all too many days over 90 degrees, on top of insufficient snow pack in the mountains and winter rain to see us through the normal dry season. Several wells in the area have already run dry. At roughly 800 feet, we are fortunate to be in a bowl of sorts, as opposed to up on the hills that encompass our farm, with a deep well and good water. We are still careful, and only spot water and drip irrigate enough to keep water-stressed trees, blueberries and gardens alive and producing. Grass is allowed to go dormant during the summer dry season, as we do not raise livestock requiring pasture here.

Veraisonhas begun in the table grapes and pinot noir, and Rick has begun netting. As you can see, the grass in the vineyard is dormant, and bleached to a light tan in the heat. Even yellow jackets, those pesky, stinging members of the genus Vespula, seem to be struggling a bit this year, and we have not seen the usual mobs of them on the plums, although I did spy a possum feeding in the plums one night after dark. Two bright silvery little eyes caught in the beams of the flashlight revealed a nighttime visitor to the farm, the one most likely leaving nibble marks on fruit that has dropped. Fallen fruit he will clean up for us, and is welcome to his share. Rick will climb the tree and harvest the rest, hopefully without to much interference from yellow jackets.

View down the rows of netted table grapes. Veraison has started already!

View of ripening table grapes.

Old Seabisquit the Subaruis closing in on 428,000 miles now. Still a dependable old workhorse and traveling companion, rarely grumbles about the next outing. Waves a fender and smiles on good days.

Old Seabisquit the Subaru, closing in on 428,000 miles.

News from the Cats of Salmon Brook Farms

Our feline correspondent this month is Mr. Lucio, official spokescat for the Boys of Salmon Brook Farms. They are outnumbered by the six girl cats, and the boys felt they had to spin off their own division of The Cats of Salmon Brook Farms in order to get work done. We are still not sure exactly what work they are doing, but Mr. Lucio would like to acquaint our readers with the boys. The girls will have their turn later.

Lucio T. Ross, official spokescat for the Boys of Salmon Brook Farm, wondering why I have disturbed his nap time for a photo.

Early days of the Boys of Salmon Brook Farms, actively watching for gophers out the east window. The house is our old doublewide, dubbed the “Glorified Mouse Hotel”. Left to right: Lucio, Nano, Marcus

Current day Boys of Salmon Brook Farms, older and more settled in the new house. Engaged in the serious business of napping and loafing. Why bother watching for gophers when a good group nap is in progress?

Lucio was out “home shopping” back in 2006, and decided three square meals and a soft bed at our house fit his requirements, even if he did have to live with a couple of Abyssinians who didn’t understand his wild west view of life. Along came Mr. Marcusand sibling Hope back in 2008, and he happily took on the role of Big Uncle Lucio. I happened to catch Mr. Lucio in mid lick. and little Marcus looks pleased to have an older mentor who will groom him and guide him through life.

Way back when Marcus was a kitten…

Mr. Marcus, sidekick of Big Uncle Lucio , as an adult, now 8 years old. Wondering why I am disturbing an all-important nap.

Mr. Nano joined the group back in 2010 when he moved inside. We are not exactly sure where that scrawny, starving, snow-white waif came from (that is why he was called Nano), but from the start he was like a third twin to Marcus and Hope, and his good-naturedness allowed him to accommodate Mr. Lucio’s rough play.

Mr. Nano, hard at work. Note that the antennae are paying close attention to what I am doing behind him.

And finally, Mr. Lucio would like us to pause for a moment of silence to remember the Cats Emeritus: Old Klaatu, Mr. Austin, and Mr. Beaucastel, the black cat on the cover of my CD. These beloved old souls may have passed on, but will live forever in our hearts and memories. The story of Old Klaatu initiated this blog back in June of 2013 as a tribute to this very special cat and his all too short time with us.

Old Klaatu on his barrel dining station

Mr. Austin

Music news (schedule posted on the Performance Schedule page)

I had an enjoyable evening playing outside at PanezaNellie Breadstick Shoppe up in Sublimity, Oregon this past Friday evening. If you are in the area, please stop in and help support this venue which is a very, very good supporter of the performing arts. The food is great and these are some of the nicest people you will ever meet!

I will be taking a break from performing for a few months after my last show of the season, which will be at the Corvallis Saturday Farmers’ Market on September 5th. I will hopefully wrap up, or at least make some progress, on projects that have been moving at a snail’s pace, including the YouTube site. I look forward to resuming performances in January of 2016. Stay tuned!

In your area, wherever you may be, please do all you can to help keep your own local music alive. Go out and see someone you don’t know, host a house concert, download songs or buy CDs. Or even just stop for a minute to hear someone at a Farmers’ Market. Live, local musicians provide a wealth of talent most people will never hear about in this age of iPods, Internet and TV.

My early days of non-conformity, age 5, captured by my mother. Wearing big brother’s boyscout uniform and knapsack, and quite proud of it! I started a new branch of scouting, calling myself a “Bird Scout”. We did not live near other children during my earliest years, so unfettered by peer-pressure, the limits of my imagination at that age knew no bounds. The stars were mine!

Lavinia as a “Bird Scout”, age 5, wearing big brother’s boyscout uniform and knapsack. Quite proud to have started a new line of scouting! Snapshot in time captured by my mother. Those were the days….

Meet the neighbors! Our feature photo this month is of our burro neighbor Speedo, a little fellow with a big personality. His pony mates Joe(sorrel) and Jack (bay) were a little camera shy, but at last came closer for a photo. The three can be seen racing around, or perhaps just hanging out under their apple tree on a warm day.

Neighbors Joe and Jack, grazing at dusk.

News from the farm

Summer is officially just around the corner on our little farm in the Cascade foothills, but already feels like late July with the unseasonably hot, and dry, weather. The gardens, trees and vines have all taken off in a race against the oncoming heat and drought, and Rick has been occupied tying up shoots that seem to grow a foot a day.

Rick tending the new shoots in the pinot noir vineyard. The table grapes outside the deer fencing are already attempting to climb the trees!

Growing apple. Healthy and coming right along.

Kale, mustard, onions and potatoes. A crowded bed and growing fast, they will help shield each other from soil dessication and cut back on our water usage.

The early mornings are in the low to mid 50s, cool and soft now. The welcome staccato of rain on the metal roof is becoming much more infrequent as summer solstice draws near, and we are already spot-watering in places where we would not have had to until July. It is a lazy, hot and increasingly cloudy day today, and a rainstorm is making its way up through the southwest pass, according to the forecast. I have been watching the sky over southwest pass all morning, as that is where most of our local weather comes in from. The light cirrus clouds of early morning have grown darker and heavier, and the Wind has picked up. I can see the footsteps of this unseen entity in the silvery waves of grass, bending in Wind’s path, running away across the back lot. The mood is uncertain today. Warm and humid enough to spawn a thunderstorm, but still playful and pleasant at this time. A fairy, flitting in and out of open windows. Orange trumpets of daylilies open skyward in the heat and filtered light, imploring the wanderers of the heavens to leave some moisture before they move on up over the Cascades. We wait.

Planted around the fruit trees, perennials such as daylilies add beauty and protection from mowing and weed-wacking.

News from the Cats of Salmon Brook Farms

The crew has been active in the early morning and evening, retiring to napping during the heat of the day, as any sensible cat would. Please visit their page TheCats of Salmon Brook Farm for more information

Nano, the Great White Hunter, hard at work. A good day for napping!

Hope, enjoying her morning snooze.

Lucio T. Ross, not getting into mischief at the moment. But not for long…

Lucio, cleaning off a spot to bite. Marcus will tire of this before long and move over, which is exactly what Lucio wants….

Abby is awake and alert, and wanting someone to play toy. Birdwatching will have to do for now.

Old Willow cat, blissfully asleep in her basket with a big smile on her face.

The Three Sisters – Wynken (left) , Nod (center) and Blynken (right). Blynken, the Quiet Intellectual, is watching the camera strap, wondering how to get a hold of it. She studies a problem until she figures it out. Wynken is the largest and gentlest of the three, and a real long-haired beauty. Camera shy, prefers chin scratches.

Little Nod – also known as Sister Bertrille,” The Flying Nod”. Playing with her brush. Loves to take flying leaps, land on my back, and ride on my shoulders. Smallest of the Three Sisters, the most vocal and opinionated of the three, quite striking with her Paul Newman blue eye!

Music news (schedule posted on the Performance Schedule page)

The outdoor music season is underway for me, starting with the Albany Farmers’ Market on back on 5/16. I worked as the market manager for Albany until it became too difficult to care for Rick’s mother and get up early and put in the hours required to work this market. I have known most of these vendors for many years now, having shared working outside in the cold, wind and rain of the beginning and end of the season as well as the relentless sun and heat of mid summer. The Corvallis-Albany market season is a long one, stretching from mid-April through just before Thanksgiving. They are like family, these farmers, all of them. I have watched their children grow up, shared the highs and lows of their individual triumphs and losses, fielded their complaints and problems as well as compliments. To be greeted and hugged by so many of my old market family each time I return to play music there is a wonderful experience like no other.

Our local Sweet Home Farmers’ Market opened this past Saturday June 6th. Stop in on Saturdays if you are in the area! The Market runs from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. I kicked off the music season there this past Saturday, and like Albany, it was wonderful to see so many old friends there as vendors, and as customers. A farmers’ market is probably the only place I might have a performance interrupted to have someone tell me about their bees, or how their goats, cows or chickens are doing. Or perhaps to offer me some fresh produce, eggs or baked goods to take home after the show, a “thank you for being here today”. And that is OK – I am background music there, not in a concert venue. And I am just one of the gang.

We are still working on the Tiny Farm Concerts page on YouTube. Stay tuned. Everything in it season…

Roses from the north borderline.

In your area, wherever you may be, please do all you can to help keep your own local music alive. Go out and see someone you don’t know, host a house concert, download songs or buy CDs. Or even just stop for a minute to hear someone at a Farmers’ Market. Live, local musicians provide a wealth of talent most people will never hear about in this age of iPods, Internet and TV.

Live well, love well. Be kind to yourself and to others. Tred lightly upon the soil and its inhabitants. We are all neighbors of a sort on this Earth, and all need each other’s expertise, hard work and good will.